Lay motion for looms



Dec. 27, 1938.

R. G. TURNER LAY MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed May 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor Richard G.Turner Arrorney Dec. 27, 1938. 1 R TURNER 2,141,675

LAY MOTION FOR LOOMS Filed May 10, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5i f F112] 5 1 2 65 o \O Ag Q r 50 \b i \5 ll I u v, 0

- Invent 6r Rfichard QLTQWIQP A g rney Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED; STATES PATENT OFFl CE LAY MOTION FOR. LOOMS Richard G. Turner, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application May 10, 1937, Serial No. 141,629

16 Claims.

:nections to a relatively stationary equalizer act- 7 ing to prevent bending of the lay during normal loom operation.

In loomsas constructed heretofore the lay has been mounted on two swords and driven by a pair of spaced connectors attached to the crank shaft. These connectors lie between the loomsides and there is consequently a considerable amount of weight at the outer ends of the lay beyond the connectors. Tests show that with a loom running at high speeds under normal conditions the shuttle boxes and lay ends, by their momentum, bend the lay so that the outer ends of the boxes have a longer sweep than the connectors. The effect of this bending is to subject the lay to considerable strain which tends to loosen the connection between the lay beam proper and the shuttle boxes and lay ends.

When looms are run at high speed the lay is subjected to considerable shock at the time of protection. This shock is due partly to the weight of the lay and partly to the rate at which it ismoving at the time of protection. To reduce the effect due to weight I make the lay lighter and reinforce it with connectors to an equalizer certain of which are approximately aligned with the protector daggers and others of which are connected to the ends of the lay. When my invention applied to a loom therefore the increase in speed is not attended with a proportionate increase in the strains to which the loom is subjected at the time of protection.

The periodic bending of the lay sets up vibrations which are likely to interfere with the flight of the shuttle and this is more noticeable when the loom is perated at high speeds. My present invention arrests these vibrations and therefore improves the picking conditions. t

On automatic looms, more particularly the shuttle changing type, the incoming shuttle is placed in a shuttle box carried at one end of the lay when the lay is at one or the other of its extreme positions. When there is any considerable bending of the lay the axis of the box is temporarily oblique with respect to the axis of the incoming shuttle. On bobbin changing looms the transfer takes place with the lay in front. position whereas in a well-known form of commercial shuttle changing loom the change takes place when the lay'is in 'its'rea'rm'ost posi-' tion. Under either of these conditions bending of the lay end interferes with the proper registry of the incoming weft supply and the shuttle box in which such supply is to be inserted. The

delivery throat of the magazine is ordinarily parallel to the true axis of the lay and it is desirable that the lay be kept straight so that the shuttle box under the magazine'will align with the magazine delivery throat.

It is an important object of my present invention to correct .the foregoing conditions by providing a plurality of connections between the lay and an equalizer, such as a shaft. As shown hereinafter I employe four connectors extending rearwardly from the lay and having connection with a shaft extending across the loom and acting to equalize the motion of different parts of the lay along the length thereof as it approaches either extreme position. I have shown a shaft provided with pinions meshing with rack bars, although I do not wish necessarily to be limited to this particular means for attaching the lay to a vibration preventer at a plurality of spaced points. I have found, however, that a lay provided with the mechanism set forth hereinafter operates with much less bending of the lay than is possible without my invention.

With these and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein a conv venient embodiment of my invention is set forth,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a loom having my invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the right end of the loom as shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a vertical section transverse of the loom on line 33, Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical section 4-H, Fig. 1,

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a detail horizontal section on an enlarged scale through the lower part of the magazineshowing the delivery throat thereof and the shuttle box to receive a fresh shuttle.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and. 2, I have shown a loom frame Ill supporting a crank shaft H having two crank arms I2 each having a connector l3. The connectors are attached to the lay 14 mounted on swords? l5 and move about the rocker shaft I6; At the right end of the on line constructed as shown in Figs/l and loom I provide a shuttle box mechanism 20, while the left end of the loom is provided with shifting boxes 2| actuated in any approved manner to place one or another of several weaving shuttles in action. By reference to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the shuttle boxes lie outside the connectors 13, box mechanism 20 being supported by the lay end 22, while the shifting boxes are supported by a lay end 23. The lay ends and shuttle boxes constitute a considerable weight projecting outside the loom frame proper and having sufiicient momentum to cause bending of the lay whenever the latter reaches either its front or back extreme position.

The lay also carries two protector daggers'3il which are normally adjacent the inner ends of the shuttle boxes and located as shown in Fig. 1 to cooperate with stopping mechanism indicated at 3|. The daggers are controlled in the usual manner by fingers 32 positioned by the running or active shuttle. The daggers are almost in alignment with the connectors l3 and the shock of protection is transmitted across the lay with very little twisting force being exerted on the lay.

The matter thus far described is of common construction and operates to swing the lay back and forth between front and back centers in well-known manner. When looms are operated at a high rate of speed the momentum of the end of the lay which extends beyond the connectors i3 and protector daggers 30 tends to move it forwardly and produce a measurable bend in the lay. This bend occurs under normal running conditions but is emphasized at the time of protection when the daggers 30 abruptly engage the stopping mechanism 3! to stop the lay suddenly. At such times the connections between the lay ends and the lay beam are placed under strain.

My present invention relates to improvements in supporting the layfor the purpose of checking and resisting the tendency which the shuttle boxes and lay ends have to cause bending of the lay either at protection or under normal running conditions.

In carrying my invention into effect I provide an equalizer shaft 40 mounted to rotate freely in intermediate bearings 4i supported by the loom frame at the rear thereof. At each end of the loom there is a bearing support 42 projecting upwardly and outwardly from the loom frame to support an additional bearing 43. There is also a brace 44 extending from each support @2 to the adjacent loomside, this brace extending forwardly and inwardly to give rigidity to the bearings 43. The shaft 401s therefore mounted in four difierent bearings and is free to rotate in response to forces derived from the lay and transmitted through mechanism to be described.

Adjacent each bearing there is secured to the shaft a pinion or gear 50 which'meshes with a rack rod or bar 5!. As shown in Fig. 1 each of the inner rack bars 5| extends forwardly and is attached to the lay at a point adjacent the forward end of the corresponding connector l3 by a pivot rod 52 carried in bearings 53 secured to the rear part of the lay.

In similar manner the outer rack bars are attached by meansof rods 52 to the lay ends at points near the outer ends of the lay. The rack bars 5! may if desired be made all alike and are In order to keep the rack bar in proper mesh with its gear 50 I secure a pair of side plates 66 to the rack and extend them down along the upper. part of the gear to prevent the rack from sliding laterally out .7 of mesh. In order to prevent the rack from rising to a position where it will be out of mesh with the gear I provide a roll 65 mounted on a stud secured to upward extension H of the bearings for the shaft 40. The'roll is mounted close enough to prevent any appreciable vertical displacement of therack relative to the pinion 5E. The gears are keyed to the shaft 40 in definite angular position and the rack teeth alsohave a definite position with respect to the pivot rods 52 so that the racks and pinions all mesh without placing the lay under any strain.

As the lay reciprocates due to rotation of the crank shaft II, the rack bars will move back and forth with the lay and cause rotation of the pinions and therefore the equalizer shaft 40. Since all of the pinions are required to rotate together because of the fact that they are keyed to the shaft 40 the longitudinal motion of the racks will be the same.

Considering for instance the forward motion of the lay, when the crank arm l2 swings forwardly from a position under the crank shaft II those parts of the lay which are adjacent the forward ends of the connectors [3 will have a motion derived from and determined by the rate of motion of the crank arm. The inner pair of rack bars which are connected to the lay at points not far removed from the connectors l3 will therefore be moved forwardly with a motion the rate of which is substantially the same as that of the lay connectors I 3. The inner gears 50 will therefore have an angular rate which is determined by the rate of motion of the crank arm and connectors I3.

As the lay approaches its forward position the outer ends thereof will tend to move forwardly with respect to the true axis of the lay, thereby exerting a forward pull on the outer pair of rack bars. This pull is resisted by the fact that these bars are in mesh with pinions which are secured to the shaft ll], and the angular motion of the latter is determined by the rate of turning of the inner pairsof gears, as already described. When the lay is moving forwardly therefore the tendency of the lay ends and shuttle boxes to bend the lay will be resisted by a strain in tension set up in the outer rack bars due to the fact that the outer pinions 50, beingkeyed to the shaft 40,

cannot move forwardly as fast as the ends of at a rate proportional to the motion of the crank arm and connectors i3, giving the shaft 40 a predetermined rate of rotation. 'As the lay approaches its rear position the outer ends thereof tend to bend rearwardly but the outer rack bars are heldagainst excess rearward motionby meshing with the outer pinions, and the tendency of the lay ends to; bend rearwardly is resisted by forces in compression set up in the outer. rack bars. The outer rack bars therefore act to dampen transverse vibration of the lay.

[Should the loom protectthe daggers 30 would bring the lay to rest abruptly, and since the dag.- gers' are near. the inner rack bars the latter and the pinions'with which they mesh suddenly stop rotation of the equalizer shaft 40. This also brings'the outer pinions 50 tov rest to stop further 3 forward motion of the outer rack bars and the lay ends are therefore prevented from bending forwardly.

During weft replenishment it is important to have the shuttle box receiving the fresh weft supply parallel to the latter. In Fig. 6 I show a weft replenishing mechanism of the shuttle changing type having a reserve shuttle magazine M having front and back stacks 90 and 9|, respectively, of reserve shuttles and having a common delivery compartment 92 serving as a magazine throat through which shuttles from both stacks pass when falling on lay carried support fingers 93 before moving into shuttle box 20. The magazine is stationary and supported on the loom frame so that the axis of the compartment 92 is constant and parallel to the lay axis. bending of the lay will cause the axis of box 20 to be inclined with respect to the throat axis, as will be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 6. The rack bars, gears and equalizer shaft all cooperate to keep the lay straight with the box axis parallel to the throat axis, and therefore insure correct relation between the magazine and lay at the time of replenishment. Although I have shown but one form of weft replenishing mechanism, yet I do not wish to be limited to that form in the practice of my invention.

From the foregoing it will be seen that I have provided an equalizer shaft connected at a plurality of points to the lay by mechanisms which tend tohold the lay in a straight line as it protects or reaches either its front or back extreme position. The inner rack bars are connected to the lay closely adjacent the connectors l3 and therefore have motions which are determined by the crank shaft and its crank arms acting through the connectors I3. By this relation the equalizer shaft is caused to rotate at a rate determined by the crank shaft and is therefore able to resist bending or deflection of the lay ends by causing the outer pinions to exert restraining forces on the end rack bars; It will further be seen that the protector daggers are located along the lay at approximately the same points as the inner rack bars and therefore act at the time of protection to stop the equalizer shaft, rendering the latter operative through the outer pinion to prevent forward bending of the lay ends. By means of the equalizer shaft and its connections to the lay the loom can be run at a higher rate of speed with less vibration of the lay and with less danger of breakage at the time of protection. Further, the shuttle box 20 is held properly at the time of replenishment.

Having thus described my invention it will be seen that changes and modifications! may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and. scope of the invention and I do not wish'to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. In a loom, a lay extending across the loom, a crank shaft, connectors between the crank shaft and the lay connected to the latter at points located an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, a rocker shaft supported in the loom, means to support the lay on the rocker shaft, an equalizer shaft mounted for free rotation in the loom, a plurality of equalizing connectors each attached to the lay, certain of said equalizing connectors attached to the lay adjacent the ends thereof and other of said equalizing connectors attached to the lay at points intermediate the ends of the latter, and means to connect each equalizing connector to the equalizer shaft to Any appreciable and the lay connected to the latter at points 10- cated an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, an equalizer shaft mounted on the loom for free rotation, a plurality of gears secured to the shaft, and a plurality of rack bars meshing with the gears and connected to the lay, certain of said rack bars connected to the lay near the ends of the latter and certain other of said rack bars connected to the lay near the points of connection between the connectors of the crank shaft and the lay, said rack bars causing rotation of the equalizer shaftas the crank shaft reciprocates the lay and the rack bar connectors cooperating with the gears and equalizer shaft to resist bending of the lay.

3. In a loom, a lay extending across the loom, a crank shaft, connectors between the crank shaft and the lay connected to the latter at points located an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, an equalizer shaft extending across the loom, a plurality of pinions fixed to the shaft, and rack bars meshing with the pinions and connected to the lay, certain of said rack bars connected to the lay near the ends thereof and other of said rack bars connected to the lay at points spaced appreciablyfrom the ends of the lay.

4. In a loom, a lay extending across the loom, a crank shaft, connectors between the crank shaft and the lay connected to the latter at points located an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, a shuttle box located at each endof the lay, an equalizer shaft freely rotatable in the loom, a plurality of gears secured to the equalizer shaft and rotating therewith, and a plurality of rack bars one for and meshing with each gear, certain of said rack bars connected to the lay at points adjacent the outer ends of the shuttle boxes, and other of said connectors connected to the lay at points adjacent the inner ends of the shuttle boxes.

5. In a loom, a lay extending across the loom, a crank shaft, connectors between the crank shaft and the lay connected to the latter at points located an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, a shuttle box located at each end of the lay, an equalizer shaft freely rotatable in the loom, a plurality of gears secured to the equalizer shaft and rotating therewith, and a plurality of rack bars one for and meshing with each gear,

certain of said rack bars connected to the lay' at points adjacent the outer ends of the shuttle boxes, and other of said connectors attached to the lay at points near the connections between the crank shaft connectors and the lay.

6. In a loom, a lay extending acrossthe loom, a crank shaft, connectors between the crank shaft and the lay connected to the latter at points located an appreciable distance from the ends of the lay, an equalizer shaft freely rotatable in the loom, a plurality of gears secured to and rotating with the equalizer shaft, rack bars mesh-v ing with certain of the gears and connected to the lay at points adjacent the connection between the lay and the crank shaft connectors to cause the gears corresponding tosaidrack 75 bars to turn the equalizer shaft at a rate determined by the crank shaft, and other rack bars connected to the lay adjacent the ends thereof and meshing with other gears on the equalizer shaft, the latter and said other gears and other rack bars tending to cause the ends of the lay to move at a rate corresponding to the rate of the first named gears as determined by the crank shaft.

'7. In a loom, a lay, means to reciprocate the lay, an equalizer shaft mounted for free rotation in the loom and being substantially parallel to the lay, spaced pinions fastened to the equalizer shaft, rack bars connected to the lay along the length thereof and meshing with the pinions, and guides fixed to the loom frame with respect to which the racks slide, said guides holding the racks in mesh with the pinions.

8. In a loom, a lay, means to reciprocate the lay, an equalizer shaft mounted for free rotation in the loom and being substantially parallel to the lay, a plurality of gears fastened to the shaft at different points along the length thereof, a rack bar meshing with each gear and connected to the lay, a bearing for the equalizer shaft adjacent each gear, and means carried by each bearing to maintain the corresponding rack in mesh with the corresponding pinion.

9. In a loom, a lay, means to reciprocate the lay, an equalizer shaft substantially parallel to the lay, a plurality of pinions secured to the shaft at different points along the length thereof, a rack bar meshing with each pinion and connected to the lay, each rack bar being formed with a guide surface, and a fixed guide for each rack engaging the guide surface of the rack to maintain'the latter in mesh with the pinion.

13. In a loom having a frame including spaced loomsides, a lay extending across the loom and beyond the loomside, means to reciprocate the lay, an equalizer shaft having ends extending beyond the loomsides, bearings for the shaft located one near each loomside, an outer bearing for each end of the equalizer shaft resisting forward bending of the latter, a gear secured to the equalizer shaft adjacent to each bearing, and a rack meshing with each gear and connected to the lay, said racks, gears and equalizer shaft cooperating to resist forward bending of the ends of the lay as the latter approaches the limit of its forward motion, certain of the rack bars connecting the ends of the lay with gears adjacent the ends of the equalizer shaft.

11. In a 100m, a lay, means to reciprocate the lay, spaced protector daggers carried by the lay, means to cooperate with the daggers to cause abrupt stopping of the lay, an equalizing shaft substantially parallel to the lay and mounted on the loom for free rotation, a pair of inner gears secured to the shaft, a rack bar for each gear meshing with the latter and connected to the lay at a point along the length of the latter adjacent one of the protector daggers, a pair of outer gears secured to the shaft, and a rack bar for each outer gear meshing with the latter and attached to one end of the lay, said equalizing shaft, gears and bars tending to prevent forward bending of the lay ends relatively to the lay when the daggers stop the loom.

12. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box on the lay to receive a reserve supply of weft, driving mechanism for the lay connected to the latter at a point between the center of the loom and the outer end of the shuttle box, a weft replenishlng mechanism to supply a reserve weft for the shuttle box when the'lay is at one extreme position in its motion and having a'throat the axis of which is substantially parallel to the lay and through which the reserve weft passes from the magazine to the shuttle box, an equalizer shaft a freely rotatable in the loom, and a plurality of connections between the equalizer shaft and the lay to cause the shaft to turn when the lay moves, said connections all moving together and having their rate of motion determined by the rate of turning of the equalizer shaft, one of said connections being'located adjacent the driving mechanism of the lay, and another of the connections being located near the outer end of the shuttle box, said connections and equalizer shaft tending to maintain the axis of the shuttle box parallel to the axis of the throat of the magazine whenthe lay is at said extreme position.

13. In a loom, a lay, a shuttle box mounted on one end. of the lay to receive a supply of reserve Weft when'the lay is in one extreme position of its motion, driving means for the lay connected to the latter at a point between the center of the loom and the outer end of the shuttle box, a stationary magazine to supply reserve weft for the shuttle box when the lay is at said extreme position, said magazine having a throat through which a reserve supply of weft passes toward the shuttle box, the axis of the throat being substantially parallel to the axis of the lay, an equalizer shaft mounted for free rotation in the loom, a plurality of spaced gears secured to the shaft, a plurality of rack bars meshing with the gears and connected to the lay, one of said rack bars being connected to the lay adjacent the outer end of the shuttle box and another of said rack bars being connected to the lay at a point removed an appreciable distance from the end of the lay, motion of the lay causing the racks to rotate the shaft and the latter tending to cause all of the'rack bars to have the same rate of motion as the lay moves to prevent bending of the lay and thereby maintain the axis of the latter and the shuttle box substantially parallel to the axis of the throat of the magazine when the lay is at said extreme position.

14. In a loom, a lay having shuttle boxes there'- on, a driving shaft behind the lay, driving connectors between the driving shaft and the lay attached to the latter at points removed substantial distances from the ends of the lay to cause the latter to reciprocate in a horizontal direction when the shaft rotates, the shuttle boxes tending by their momentum to move through a range greater than that through whichthe driving connectors move, an equalizer shaft located behind the crank shaft, and equalizing connectors between the equalizer shaft and the ends of the lay and also intermediate portions of the lay, the lay when moving rearwardly moving in a direction toward both the crank and equalizer shafts and the latter together with the equalizer connectors resisting the momentum of the shuttle boxes and tending to require the latter to. have the same range of motion as that of the driving connectors.

15. In a loom, a lay having shuttle boxes on the ends thereof, a crank shaft, an equalizer shaft, driving connectors between the crank shaft and the lay at points located intermediate. the ends of the lay to reciprocate the latter in a direction toward and from said shafts, the shuttle boxes tending by their momentum to move through a range greater than that through which the driving connectors move, and equalizing elements connecting the equalizer shaft and the ends of the lay and also intermediate parts of the lay and tending to cause the shuttle boxes to have the same range of motion as that of the driving connectors.

16. In a loom, a lay having shuttle boxes on the ends thereof, a crank shaft, driving connectors between the crank shaft and the lay attached to the latter at points removed appreciable distances from the ends of the lay to reciprocate the latter, the shuttle boxes by their momentum tending to move through a range greater than that through which the driving connectors move, a set of equalizing elements connected to the ends of the lay and also to points intermediate the ends of the lay and extending in a direction substantially the same as that in which the lay reciprocates, and a member connected in common to all of said elements and moving with the latter and tending to cause all of said elements to have the same extent of motion, thereby resisting the momentum of the shuttle boxes and tending to cause the latter to move through the same range as that through which the driving connectors move.

RICHARD G. TURNER. 

